Hunters hurtin’

Colorado’s regular big game seasons are over. The complaints keep rolling in. Game managers privately are using words like “disastrous” to describe harvest results, a condition almost universally blamed on hot, dry conditions during the final two splits.

Despite concerns about too many holdover animals, Division of Wildlife officials have no plans to recommend special extra hunts. Instead, they’ll wait for official harvest surveys to be completed over the next couple months before considering how many additional limited licenses to issue next year.
In addition to the extra tags, hunters can anticipate more and bigger bucks and bulls in the mix for 2008.

Of course, any activity involving hundreds of thousands of people produces a wide range of results and opinions. What was your experience during the season? Happy? Disappointed? Just plain ticked off?
Here’s your chance to let it all hang out.

I vote no for wolves.
Dry or not it was a good season. We were into bulls every day during archery season. Got a good buck with the help of a good friend.

Dick Steele DVM

I vote no for wolves.
Dry or not it was a good season. We were into bulls every day during archery season. Got a good buck with the help of a good friend.

Manitou

I don’t know about elsewhere but late seasons in Middle Park were a disaster. There was nothing moving for the last 2 regular season and the lte draw. DOW may have sold out all of the licenses for late season draws but the Hunters stayed away in droves up here.

Manitou

I don’t know about elsewhere but late seasons in Middle Park were a disaster. There was nothing moving for the last 2 regular season and the lte draw. DOW may have sold out all of the licenses for late season draws but the Hunters stayed away in droves up here.

Curt Schadel

So dow this was the worst hunt in ten years the most costly also i spent 174.00 on tags in colo. i never saw and elk doe deer i did see the game warden nice fellow asked him where the elk were no answer this is what i have a problem with we pay you to manage our wildlife so what is the problem let us know where they are some one saw a heard of fifty here yesterday twenty here we pay you all well with your lic, fee increases i do the best to stay the best sportman i can be i took 3 diffrent kids to wy this year there lic fees for 4 anamals were the same as mine for two in there reduced tag program 64.00 maybe colo sportsman should start looking north as to chearper hunting beter qualty also the game wardens there help you find place to hunt they know the rancher and land owner they are a great aset to the hunter

Curt Schadel

So dow this was the worst hunt in ten years the most costly also i spent 174.00 on tags in colo. i never saw and elk doe deer i did see the game warden nice fellow asked him where the elk were no answer this is what i have a problem with we pay you to manage our wildlife so what is the problem let us know where they are some one saw a heard of fifty here yesterday twenty here we pay you all well with your lic, fee increases i do the best to stay the best sportman i can be i took 3 diffrent kids to wy this year there lic fees for 4 anamals were the same as mine for two in there reduced tag program 64.00 maybe colo sportsman should start looking north as to chearper hunting beter qualty also the game wardens there help you find place to hunt they know the rancher and land owner they are a great aset to the hunter

Hiker

I do enjoy hunting Wyoming, though Wyoming just raised their Non-Resident fees 20% starting in 2008. Along with that you get the pleasure of paying their outrageous preference point fees. $100 for sheep, $75 for moose, $50 for elk, $40 for deer & $30 for antelope. The reduced priced tags also took a big jump.

Hiker

I do enjoy hunting Wyoming, though Wyoming just raised their Non-Resident fees 20% starting in 2008. Along with that you get the pleasure of paying their outrageous preference point fees. $100 for sheep, $75 for moose, $50 for elk, $40 for deer & $30 for antelope. The reduced priced tags also took a big jump.

Mark Jones

I stopped hunting in Colorado years ago. The outfitters drive the elk onto private property and the game wardens turn a blind eye to this event every year. Hunting has turned into a rich mans sport, just ask a private land owner to hunt on his property. Most private land owners are under contract with an outfitter and won’t let you on their land.

Mark Jones

I stopped hunting in Colorado years ago. The outfitters drive the elk onto private property and the game wardens turn a blind eye to this event every year. Hunting has turned into a rich mans sport, just ask a private land owner to hunt on his property. Most private land owners are under contract with an outfitter and won’t let you on their land.

Mark

Every year is a good year to hunt in Colorado. We enjoyed the weather and good company this year. We hunt on public lands and have never had a problem, of course you have to get out of the truck and walk it. I don’t care for the DOW to point a finger and say shoot that one, think you can get that from a guided hunt.

Mark

Every year is a good year to hunt in Colorado. We enjoyed the weather and good company this year. We hunt on public lands and have never had a problem, of course you have to get out of the truck and walk it. I don’t care for the DOW to point a finger and say shoot that one, think you can get that from a guided hunt.

Clay

NO TO WOLVES

I don’t know what everyone is complaining about I got my Elk on the 1st day and a nice Buck on the third day. I agree with Marks earlier post. You do have to get out of your truck and actually go hunting to get an animal.There are plenty of animals I think I saw more animals this year than ever. I am not afraid to hunt hard and do what it takes to get an animal
and get it out once I have shot it. I think there are too many lazy hunters. Just my opinnion.

Clay

NO TO WOLVES

I don’t know what everyone is complaining about I got my Elk on the 1st day and a nice Buck on the third day. I agree with Marks earlier post. You do have to get out of your truck and actually go hunting to get an animal.There are plenty of animals I think I saw more animals this year than ever. I am not afraid to hunt hard and do what it takes to get an animal
and get it out once I have shot it. I think there are too many lazy hunters. Just my opinnion.

Phil

My group and I are the hunters that get out of the truck and hick are tails off. We hardly saw anything this year or last year I think the DOW is stretching the statistics a bit to keep the money rolling in. I have hunted for many years, as well as generations before me and we are all fed up. I have to beg the elders to come with me every year, they say thier giving up hunting unless we can have access to some private land or at the least pull the tags we want without getting shuffled around every couple years. There needs to be more access for the average working man who loves to hunt-period.

Phil

My group and I are the hunters that get out of the truck and hick are tails off. We hardly saw anything this year or last year I think the DOW is stretching the statistics a bit to keep the money rolling in. I have hunted for many years, as well as generations before me and we are all fed up. I have to beg the elders to come with me every year, they say thier giving up hunting unless we can have access to some private land or at the least pull the tags we want without getting shuffled around every couple years. There needs to be more access for the average working man who loves to hunt-period.

chaz

I just think the DOW needs to quit handing out more licenses for units that are full of open space and private land just becaus ethey are trying to eliminate CWD. Every year there are more hunters hunting the same small areas of public land that we are sharing with hikers, bikers and dog lovers who dont have the common sense to wear some blaze orange since its hunting season. Last time i looked Deer & Elk arent huge fans of Dogs but maybe that is some of these peoples intentions to keep you from hunting at all. This last year we saw one small buck and a doe in five days of hunting.

chaz

I just think the DOW needs to quit handing out more licenses for units that are full of open space and private land just becaus ethey are trying to eliminate CWD. Every year there are more hunters hunting the same small areas of public land that we are sharing with hikers, bikers and dog lovers who dont have the common sense to wear some blaze orange since its hunting season. Last time i looked Deer & Elk arent huge fans of Dogs but maybe that is some of these peoples intentions to keep you from hunting at all. This last year we saw one small buck and a doe in five days of hunting.

Greg

I happen to need to hunt from my truck or just off to the side of the road (I use a wheelchair and have the appropriate permit). I didn’t see any elk this year, 1 doe, and a black bea. So I again came out with no game.

My biggest complaint is about the folks that drive back and forth all through the days, either in their trucks or on their quads….

Oh well, maybe next year.

Greg

I happen to need to hunt from my truck or just off to the side of the road (I use a wheelchair and have the appropriate permit). I didn’t see any elk this year, 1 doe, and a black bea. So I again came out with no game.

My biggest complaint is about the folks that drive back and forth all through the days, either in their trucks or on their quads….

Oh well, maybe next year.

Dan M.

As long as the dow alowes private land owners to steele our animals on there private game reservs Hunting in Colo will continue to decline along with the econimy of all the mountain regions

Dan M.

As long as the dow alowes private land owners to steele our animals on there private game reservs Hunting in Colo will continue to decline along with the econimy of all the mountain regions

Michael Graves

Went third season and it was way to hot, we started at 9200ft and ended at 11200ft and it was almost the same temp at both elavations. I saw one small bull (not legal) and that was about it. It sure is funny it is like the seasons are two months off. When I was a kid third season meant snow. I cannot remember the last time that I have seen snow during the last ten years in the San Luis Valley during third season. We now hunt in T-shirts during the third season instead of hunting jackets.

Michael Graves
Bailey, CO

Michael Graves

Went third season and it was way to hot, we started at 9200ft and ended at 11200ft and it was almost the same temp at both elavations. I saw one small bull (not legal) and that was about it. It sure is funny it is like the seasons are two months off. When I was a kid third season meant snow. I cannot remember the last time that I have seen snow during the last ten years in the San Luis Valley during third season. We now hunt in T-shirts during the third season instead of hunting jackets.

Michael Graves
Bailey, CO

jf moroni

I am not sure of what Colorado is going to do with all of the elk and deer that didn’t get shot this year. I think that the seasons are too short to begin with. I heard in Wyoming that they extended some hunting areas by 2 wks because it was too hot. Well why dosen’t Colorado help its hunters? All they had to do was extend the hunt periods maybe into late November, Dec or January; why not? I think that the Game and Fish Dept is frantic on not knowing what to do next in 2008. I believe that the wintering gounds cannot hold anymore animal and when that happens Nature takes over and starves many amimals, its tragic but if Colorado dosen’t act first, Nature will. And it won’t be a pretty sight.In the last 4 years I have never seen so many DEER, everwhere, you should be able to buy one tag and get 2 deer. And elk the same way, plenty of cows.

jf moroni

I am not sure of what Colorado is going to do with all of the elk and deer that didn’t get shot this year. I think that the seasons are too short to begin with. I heard in Wyoming that they extended some hunting areas by 2 wks because it was too hot. Well why dosen’t Colorado help its hunters? All they had to do was extend the hunt periods maybe into late November, Dec or January; why not? I think that the Game and Fish Dept is frantic on not knowing what to do next in 2008. I believe that the wintering gounds cannot hold anymore animal and when that happens Nature takes over and starves many amimals, its tragic but if Colorado dosen’t act first, Nature will. And it won’t be a pretty sight.In the last 4 years I have never seen so many DEER, everwhere, you should be able to buy one tag and get 2 deer. And elk the same way, plenty of cows.

Chaz

what they will do is give twice as many licenses to already crowded areas because its about the dollars. They will promote all the animals and licenses available for the upcoming seasons to bring in out of state dollars. A longer season would make sense but we know they dont have any of that.

Chaz

what they will do is give twice as many licenses to already crowded areas because its about the dollars. They will promote all the animals and licenses available for the upcoming seasons to bring in out of state dollars. A longer season would make sense but we know they dont have any of that.

Mr MO

So what if you have to go a year without game, due to weather or anything else natural. Now if we can get rid ofthe ATVs, it would be the single best thing to improve the hunt.

Mr MO

So what if you have to go a year without game, due to weather or anything else natural. Now if we can get rid ofthe ATVs, it would be the single best thing to improve the hunt.

Nol

Hunting was fine this year as always. The people who didn’t get one, (an elk or deer) probably were road hunting. After getting my 6X6 on the third day of second season, within 400 yards of the nearest road, I still saw 12 more bull elk. All which were legal. I even seen 2 legal bulls while on the road coming down the mountain. So I beleive there isn’t a problem. I beleive its the hunters just not looking for them and just blaming the weather.. Put the beer down for 2 hours and take a short walk. You’ll be suprised..

Nol

Hunting was fine this year as always. The people who didn’t get one, (an elk or deer) probably were road hunting. After getting my 6X6 on the third day of second season, within 400 yards of the nearest road, I still saw 12 more bull elk. All which were legal. I even seen 2 legal bulls while on the road coming down the mountain. So I beleive there isn’t a problem. I beleive its the hunters just not looking for them and just blaming the weather.. Put the beer down for 2 hours and take a short walk. You’ll be suprised..

Merl Waltz

My group has some preference points we would like to use for a Colorado hunt but have so far been unable to find out how many points were needed for various mgt areas last fall. We searched the innernet, called the DOW, suscribed to “Colorado Outdoors”, tried contacting the Outfitters Association, contacted several outfitters and went thru the Colorado Hunting Club all without success.

Looks like we will hunt in Canada again next fall. If we wait much longer for the Colorado figures to come out everything in our favorite spots in Canada will be filled up.

Merl Waltz

My group has some preference points we would like to use for a Colorado hunt but have so far been unable to find out how many points were needed for various mgt areas last fall. We searched the innernet, called the DOW, suscribed to “Colorado Outdoors”, tried contacting the Outfitters Association, contacted several outfitters and went thru the Colorado Hunting Club all without success.

Looks like we will hunt in Canada again next fall. If we wait much longer for the Colorado figures to come out everything in our favorite spots in Canada will be filled up.

jf moroni

Well our annual hunting expedition to Colorado is Kaput. Can’t afford the fuel costs and the additional license increase put us 7 hunters out of bounds. We will be staying home unless one of us wins the lottery………………………………..

jf moroni

Well our annual hunting expedition to Colorado is Kaput. Can’t afford the fuel costs and the additional license increase put us 7 hunters out of bounds. We will be staying home unless one of us wins the lottery………………………………..